But while it's easy to get the motivation to tidy your space (not to mention your phonebook) in early January, what happens by the time April — or worse, September — rolls around? It's not your imagination: there's a reason you keep making the same resolutions year after year. But don't despair in your desire for a clean and orderly space. There are strategies both physical and mental that you can put into place now to help ensure your hard work lasts into the spring and beyond. In fact, we asked some of the most organized people we know — as in, women who literally do this stuff for a living — for their tips on being tidy all year round, and they had plenty of thoughts. That's right, get ready to pick an entirely different resolution for 2020.
Legendary organization guru Marie Kondo urges the importance of painting a picture for yourself. After all, if you don't know what you're aiming for, it can be hard to achieve it. “Think about what kind of house you want to live in and how you want to live in it. If you like drawing, sketch out what it looks like. If you prefer to write, describe it in a notebook. You can also cut out photos from magazines," she offers.
"When you imagine your ideal lifestyle, you are clarifying why you want to tidy and identifying the kind of life you want to live once you have finished. The tidying process thus represents a huge turning point in a person’s life. So seriously consider the ideal lifestyle to which you aspire – and let it be your guide throughout the year."Paola Delucca
Haya Kramer of Graylane Solutions, an interior design and professional organization firm, stresses the importance of getting your calendar involved in the process. "There are dates throughout the year to remind you and maybe even force you to get organized," she explains. "Use the changing seasons and the holidays as a mental marker to spend time sorting through your stuff. When the clock springs forward put a note on the calendar to switch over your wardrobe. Use that weekend to sort through your winter wardrobe and get rid of things you haven’t worn in over a year. Before thanksgiving approaches, set aside 2-4 hours to clean up your desk. Make piles – file, shred, pay. There is nothing more satisfying then going into a new season with an organized space and mind."Paola Delucca
“Every night I take the time to put scattered items back into their places, but this only takes about ten minutes because I’ve already assigned every item a home. I even empty the contents of my handbag every day, letting each item rest in its designated place – my purse, keys, phone, everything – and I thank them for the work they did that day," shares Kondo.Paola Delucca
Even treasured rituals like a yoga practice or morning breakfast routine get lost in the shuffle sometimes, but it's important, says Lili Pettit of Clutter Healing, to make time in your schedule to clean and sort a little bit every day.
“I’d say the number one thing that anyone must implement to stay organized all year long is to make space for organizing in their daily, weekly, monthly and annual schedules. It sounds simple however, most people tend to put off creating a plan to maintain their homes. You can have all the best intentions in the world but without a plan to maintain your space it’s just not going to happen," she explains.Paola Delucca
Professional organizer Laura Cattano preaches the importance of figuring out a cleaning schedule to ensure all chores get done and spaces stay tidy. "Clean all sinks every day, take out all trash every day or every other day, dust one day, clean glass or mirrors another day, vacuum a few times a week (depending on the size of your space)," she suggests. "When your space is a little clean, you generally want to keep it clean, others will too. Having the main things clean like sinks and trash will give an overall feeling of a home being clean even if you haven't vacuumed in a while."Paola Delucca
This is a hard one, especially for my fellow fashion and beauty hoarders, but Kramer makes a convincing argument for the importance of the "one-in, one-out" method. "Inevitably you are going to acquire new things — clothing, furniture, gadgets and gifts — throughout the year. And it’s easy to forget what you have accumulated," she says.
"I remind my clients that when you purchase something new make a conscious effort to throw away and/or donate something you haven’t used in over 10 months. Did you purchase a new outfit to ring in the New Year? Sort through your wardrobe and make piles — keep, toss and donate — of clothing which you never took off the tags or completely forget you owned. This is a way of checking in with yourself and being aware of what you are accumulating. By doing so it will also allow you to physically make space for the new things you’re buying in the new year."Paola Delucca
Even if you don't think you can commit to tossing something every time you get something new, you should at least find said new thing a proper home in your space, especially if it's an extra or a back-up of something else.
"Try to find a 'home' for things that don't need to be out 24/7. For example, you might own six sets of coasters but they don't all always need to be displayed. Pick your favorite and store the rest in the same spot so when you need more you know exactly where they are," explains Homepolish interior designer Haley Weidenbaum. "Just like wearing jewelry or clothing always take off one item before you leave the house and this same thought rings true for your home. You don't need all seven candles on the coffee table. Keep two on the table, store the rest for when these run out or even move them to unaccepted areas like the bathroom counter for added decor."Paola Delucca
"The entry of a home can become a dumping ground of coats, shoes, bags, etc. Identify what tends to pile up and create a system to deal with it and/or stop if from coming in in the first place," says Cattano.
"Add hooks so coats don't get thrown on the sofa or floor, as most people don't have large enough coat closets to hold their own coats plus guest coats. Use decorative hooks that look great on their own. If you must store shoes by the door, get a shoe cabinet that the shoes can be stored in without having to look at a pile of shoes or an open shoe rack. it doesn't even have to be a proper shoe cabinet, it can be any cabinet with shelves that shoes can be stored in. i've often used baskets under a bench for kids' shoes as they're not as precious as adults' shoes so piling them in a basket isn't going to damage the shoes."Paola Delucca
If a tiny bathroom jammed with too many products and gadgets is a problem for you, it may be time to get real about what you're actually using on your face, at least on a day-to-day basis. "Most people have way too many products. Before going through your things, think about what you actually need to be using on your face. Once you think about that, edit and sort you're items keeping in mind that products once opened and used don't last forever, especially make-up," Cattano explains.
"Then, rethink your storage. Seeing all of your beauty products out can make the space look and feel cluttered. If you have open shelving use small bins or baskets to hold your products and hide them in plain site. This trick makes cleaning the shelves easier as well as you don't have to take 100 things off the self, just a couple baskets. Medicine cabinets should only hold daily/weekly used items. Space shouldn't be wasted for medicine you may or may not use over the course of a season or a huge bottle of hydrogen peroxide when you get a cut."Paola Delucca
Approach your closet the way you imagine the scariest fashion editor of your Devil Wears Prada-fueled dreams might a big-deal editorial shoot. Which is to say, purge ruthlessly.
“Take stock of what you have. Do an edit! Get rid of things that don’t fit, are stained or unable to repair or don’t look good on you! Grab a friend, or pay an organizer or a stylist whose style you admire to help with the process," says Melanie Charlton of the closet organizing service Clos-ette.Paola Delucca
It may sound like a stretch, but think about picking up as a part of your ongoing self care practice, just like working out or meal prepping. Professional organizer Monica Leed, who is also the author of Simply Spaced, Clear the Clutter and Style Your Life, has a three-step approach.
"Adopt a method that will guide and inspire you. I approach organization in three steps: Simplify (declutter first), Streamline (optimize space with strategic storage), Style (personalize your space to motivate maintenance)," she reveals. "Once you know how to deal with clutter and have the proper systems in play, "getting back to baseline" is much easier and a lot faster. It takes a bit of work up front, but it pays off in spades over time."
There's no better way to ensure everything has a place than by clearly defining what that place is.
"Now that you know where the items in your space belongs, make sure to label each category so you not only know where to find it, but it always makes it back to the right place," explains Jamie Hord, Founder of Horderly Professional Organizing. "The Brother P-touch CUBE Plus label maker makes labeling super easy because it connects to your phone and makes labeling customizable!"
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